Burdens
by Joe Coool
Summary: After Pain's attack on Konoha, every ninja has to do their part to help rebuild and restore the village. Naruto, however, pushes himself well beyond his limits on a daily basis. Can Sakura convince Naruto to release some of his burdens?
1. Chapter 1

"Here's your task list for today, ma'am."

"Let me take a look at that… Oh no, not again…"

"What is it?"

"I've told this woman that she's not allowed to walk for a couple of weeks while her leg heals. She keeps trying to, and always ends up fracturing her bones…"

"What shall we do about it?"

"I hate having to do this, but you need to tell her if she doesn't stop, you'll cuff her to the bed until she calms down. Excuse me, I need to check on some patients."

"Of course. Good luck, Sakura"

The pink-haired kunoichi exchanged no more pleasantries as she hurried around the make-shift hospital. She was silently thankful that this was one of the buildings that Yamato had made using his wood jutsu. She stopped by her first patient, who was suffering mental trauma. "Good morning, how are you doing today?"

The middle-aged woman glared angrily at her before responding, "You're not my son. I sent for my son. He has my pudding."

Sakura sighed at the 'pudding lady', as so many of the nurses jokingly called her, before going through the same conversation they had already gone through many times. "Ma'am, you don't have a son. You're just having some mental trauma from the attack about a month  
ago."

"Oh," the older woman said. Then her face brightened as she asked "Can I have some pudding anyway?"

Every day, the woman would smile and ask for pudding. 'Like Naruto and ramen,' Sakura thought. "Let me get some." She left and made a bowl of oatmeal for the woman, throwing a couple of medicinal ingredients into the mix before bringing it back to the woman.  
The pudding lady's eyes grew larger as the bowl of "pudding" approached. She quickly snatched the bowl and spoon from Sakura and began consuming the oatmeal at a disgusting rate. "This is great pudding!" she exclaimed after taking a breath, before returning her attention to her meal. Sakura sighed and walked over to a nearby window. She opened it and closed her eyes, feeling the breeze blow across her face and through her hair. She opened her eyes and, like always, let out a sigh as her gaze looked out over Konoha.

Or, rather, what was left of it.

Konoha may as well have just been blown off of the face of the earth. There were few permanent structures standing, all of them newly built since the attack. Pain, the leader of Akatsuki, had utterly demolished all of Konoha, leaving only a crater. After Naruto returned from his senjutsu training, the two battled intensely; Naruto transforming up to 8-tails, meeting the real Pain, and convincing him to revive all of those killed in the attack. However, the former Hidden Leaf village has become a refugee camp, with its inhabitants living in poorly made shelters made of the debris of the catastrophe. Sakura looked out over what was left of her home, seeing huts made of misshapen wood and other scraps of the previous buildings. She and the other shinobi were lucky enough to have tents, but even they were not in that great of shape. Sakura turned her gaze to a nearby huddling of dwellings, where some adults were staying with the children, all of whom were huddled around a large fire, pulling what scraps of cloth and clothing they had closer to their fragile bodies in a futile attempt to keep themselves warm. The children's eyes had dulled, no longer filled with the youthful nature and spirit of childhood. Sakura smiled slightly; the only ones left with the spirit of youth had to be Lee and Gai-Sensei, but even their attitudes had taken a severe hit. Sakura watched as some villagers worked to pull up a building frame, as others further in the distance returned to the village with buckets of water from a nearby lake. Her attention turned back to the construction site when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, the frame began fall. Just as suddenly, a man with orange pants and no shirt appeared under the frame and caught it before it fell on the workers. A few moments later, three other men appeared and began finishing the installation of the frame. Sakura smiled as she saw that they all looked like the first man. "Naruto," she thought out loud.

"No, pudding," the pudding lady said in an irked tone.

Sakura pulled herself from her thoughts and looked at the woman. "I'm sorry?"

"Pudding. More pudding," she retorted insistently.

Sakura smiled and took the bowl before replying, "I think you've had enough pudding for now. Why don't you take a nap?"

"I want more pudding! I'm not ti- I'm not ti-," she tried to say, her head drooping. The drugs were beginning to take their effect. "I'm…not…"

Sakura took a deep breath before washing and returning the bowl. Pudding lady was definitely not one of her favorite duties… As she continued with her work, her thoughts drifted to Naruto. Surprisingly, she had not seen him in a couple of weeks. She had been working almost constantly at the hospital, and she could only assume he had been working even harder that her. 'I should try and see him today,' she thought. 'I'll ask Tsunade if I can leave early.' As she busied herself with work, the time slowly passed until she was done with her tasks for the day. She approached Tsunade in her 'office', which was merely an awning spanning a few feet out from a standing, isolated wall. "Tsunade, I have finished with my work for today," Sakura stated when her mentor looked up at her. "I was wondering if I could leave early..."

Tsunade looked at her student, then stood up. "I'm about to head out to see how Naruto's doing. I assume you'll join me?"

Sakura's eyes lit up. 'This saves me the trouble of finding him,' she thought to herself. "Sure, I'll come. Where is he?"  
Tsunade smiled, seeing the expression on Sakura's face, before beckoning her to follow.

* * *

"4 men, 250 meters South-West. Help with the building structure."

"..."

"2 men, 400 meters North. Accident, broken leg."

"..."

"1 man, 300 meters East. Stop brawl."

"..."

"10 men, 750 meters North-West. Collapsing building."

"..."

Sakura approached a small clearing within the debris. Neji was standing on top of a ruined building with his Byakugan activated, shouting out directions. Sakura looked confused, wondering who he was giving directions to. Her question was answered when she saw Naruto sitting on the ground cross-legged, his hands touching each other at the middle segment of his fingers. He was not moving, and his eyes were closed. Sakura was pissed that he was just sitting there, not doing any work. "Naruto, get off your ass and do some work!" she yelled at him.

Neji looked down and beckoned Sakura to join him on the building. Perplexed by his actions, she hopped up onto the ledge next to Neji. He pointed over in the distance and yelled to Naruto, "6 men, 550 meters South. Assist with rubble removal."

Naruto continued to sit there in silence. Sakura was about to jump on the idiot's head and give him a piece of her mind when Neji elbowed her and pointed in the direction he had before. Sakura had to squint, but could make out 6 Narutos running at an incredible speed toward the site Neji had just indicated. Sakura was shocked. Now it made sense. Neji would look for areas that looked like they needed help with his Byakugan, then report them to Naruto who, in turn, would pass that information on to the clones nearest to the area. "How many clones does he have out?" she asked.

"The first few days that we did this, he overdid himself with about a thousand clones," Neji replied, still scanning for potential work sites. "After a while, we found a number that works for him, so he can make his chakra last all day. Right now, he has about 250 clones…"

To say that Sakura was shocked would have been an understatement. "Tha- That's incredible…" she managed to stutter. "How long have you guys been out here?"

"Well, Hinata and I take one hour shifts while the other rests to get their chakra back. Naruto… has been out here since about 8 this morning."

"Naruto has been doing this for 10 hours! How is he able to keep that up? I know he has a lot of chakra, but still…"

"Go take a good look at Naruto's face."

"What about it?" Sakura asked, looking at his face from her vantage point next to Neji. Suddenly, she felt Neji push her off of the building. After getting over the initial shock, she safely landed and glared at Neji.

"I said a _good _look," he replied calmly.

After shaking off her anger, she knelt down in front of Naruto and looked at his face. The area around his eyes was a dark orangish color, while the edges of his eyelids were hinted with a dark black line.

"Yo, Naruto," Neji called out. "Open your eyes, someone wants to see you." With that, Naruto snapped his eyes open, while the rest of his body stayed completely still. Sakura saw that his normally blue eyes had become yellow, while his pupils looked more like horizontal bars. She realized that he has been in sage mode, increasing his power even more. He smiled at the familiar face and looked into Sakura's eyes for a few seconds before closing his eyes again and letting the smile slowly fade, concentrating on his duties.

* * *

"Neji, Naruto, that's enough for today," Tsunade called out to the two.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," Neji replied, jumping down to the ground next to Naruto. Sakura noticed that Naruto had exited sage mode, and waited for her friend to open his eyes. Instead, he began to slump over, but Neji caught him and laid him down on his back.

"What the hell is happening?" Sakura asked, running over to Naruto and looking down at him with concern.

Neji sighed. "Don't worry, Sakura, he'll be back in a few minutes."

"And how do you know that?"

"This happens every day."

Sakura looked at Neji's emotionless face as he said this, then looked down at Naruto's again. She couldn't believe that he has been working this hard over the past month. 'You baka,' she thought to herself.

After a few minutes, he woke up, just as Neji had said. He looked weakly at Sakura before saying, "Sakura-chan, I'm glad you didn't jump down on my head and give me a piece of your mind. Your mind usually involves fists." She wondered how he knew she had wanted to do that, and gave him a questioning look. He chuckled quietly before pushing himself up. He was still a bit wobbly, but managed to stand, and began to walk away.

"Sakura, get ready," Neji said simply before turning around and leaving.

"Neji, what are you talking abou-" She was interrupted when she saw Naruto begin to collapse face-first out of the corner of her eye. Sakura quickly rushed over and caught him before he hit the ground, and rolled him over onto his back again. "How could you let him do something so exhausting?" she asked Tsunade, looking at Naruto's body with concern.

"I didn't," Tsunade said back. "He came up with the idea himself."

"You could have told him not to!"

"Since when has that ever worked on Naruto?"

Sakura sighed. Tsunade had a point. Naruto was definitely a stubborn one. She was still amazed that he came up with that idea; she had thought it was Neji's plan. But what really got to her was that he would work so hard every day, collapse from exhaustion, and return the next day only to do more of the same.

"Sakura, I want you to take care of Naruto for tonight. God knows he needs a bit of a break."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Sakura picked her limp friend and placed his arms around her neck and shoulders for support. "Uhh, where is his tent?"

"He… doesn't have one. He gave his to a family with 4 children who needed a place to stay."

"Where the hell has he been sleeping then?" Sakura asked.

"Naruto has made a small camp in the forest to the East," Tsunade replied. "He's not going to get a good sleep there. Sakura, I want you to take him to your tent."

Upon hearing this request, Sakura's mind flooded with thoughts. "You want me to do _what_?"

"You heard me."

"But, I- He- We can't-" Sakura stuttered, unable to make coherent sentences.

"Sakura, Naruto needs as much rest as he can get," Tsunade said flatly. "I'm not saying you have to sleep together, just let him use your cot for one night."

Sakura sighed. She looked down at Naruto's face, and couldn't help but notice all of the scratches and dirt that covered him. "Hai, Tsunade-sama," Sakura finally said before carrying Naruto's body to her tent.

* * *

Sakura's tent was definitely nothing special. It was barely even a tent; it consisted of a tarp stretched from a damaged wall to the ground. She was lucky enough to find a wall that both blocked the wind and was uphill so that when it rained, her possessions were not flooded. She laid Naruto down on her cot before putting her own things down on the ground. She looked at Naruto's body; he was covered in dirt, and his orange jacket and pants had begun to lose their color due to the constant exposure to the sun. His face was no better, covered in old bandages that were torn and bloodied by new cuts. His blonde hair, which he had been growing out since he had learned of Jiraya's death, was almost more brown than blonde from the large amount of grime. His cheeks and forehead were smudged with so much soil and sweat that his whisker-marks were barely visible. Sakura pulled a rag out of one of her med-kits, soaked it in a bucket of rainwater she had collected, and wrung most of the water back out before matting his head with it. The dirt slowly lifted off, revealing skin that was heavily battered from hard work and exertion. She dipped the rag back in the bucket, before wringing it out and going at it again. After a while, she managed to clean up his face and apply fresh bandages where necessary. 'He really has gotten handsome,' she thought to herself. 'Well, at least when he's not in sage mode.' She smiled, wondering what Tsunade's sage mode would look like, if she even had one. 'Would she turn into a giant slug?' Sakura's gaze turned back to her unconscious friend. 'Well, if I'm going to treat him, might as well do a complete job of it.' With that, she unzipped his jacket and laid it down on the ground near the foot of the cot. Looking back, she found herself admiring his body. 'Hot damn, all that training he's been doing sure has paid off.' She couldn't help it; she had grown close to him. He was always the one by her side when she needed comfort, he always put her and others before himself, and he had saved her life many times over. Even though he could be an idiot, she found herself really starting to like him. Pulling her mind back to her midic-nin duties, she pulled up his shirt and became even more speechless. He really had become better looking. He had a well-defined six-pack and a sleek chest. While examining him, she noticed that his skin appeared really tight on his body, making his muscles seem like they were about to jump out. She raised an eyebrow; normally, this only happened to ninjas who well-near starved themselves. 'That couldn't be Naruto, he loves food too much,' she told herself. 'It's probably just from not eating 12 bowls of ramen a day.'

She once again brought her attention back to her work. She began to focus chakra in her palms and run them over his skin. She closed her eyes, concentrating on opening up all of the capillaries in his body and increasing the blood flow. When she moved her hands near his stomach, she noticed his seal appear. She pulled her hands away; she had never gotten a good look at it before. It didn't look like much, just a black spiral around his belly button with a few symbols around the outside. She shrugged and continued her work. After removing the scratches from his body, she moved her hands back up to his face. His eyes were closed in an expression that was relaxed, but serious. 'He's probably trying to wake up so he can get back to work,' Sakura thought to herself. She let her hands roam his face, trying to ignore the warmth running to her own. As her fingers passed over his whisker marks, he twitched and grinned slightly. 'What's this?' she asked herself, scratching her fingers along his facial features, earning her a big grin. 'Seems he's pretty sensitive there. I'll have to remember that.'

Sakura had finally finished cleaning his wounds and had put his shirt back on. It had become dark, and she decided to try and get some sleep, seeing as how she had nothing better to do. She looked at Naruto, and began to worry. 'How long is he going to stay like this? Is it always this bad?' She held her knees close to her body and looked up at the sky. Since there were no more lights coming from Konoha, all of the stars were visible. She never knew that there were so many stars in the sky. Looking back at her teammate, she smiled; to her, the stars showed that no matter how bad things may seem, they will always find a way to get better. Sakura was always comforted by looking at the stars. She laid down on a patch of ground she had cleared, then pulled a tattered blanket over herself and fell asleep to the soothing sounds of Naruto's steady breathing.


	2. Chapter 2

Sakura awoke some hours later. She looked over at Naruto, only to find herself gazing an old wall. It was at this time that she noticed her head was propped up against her pillow and she was lying on her cot with a warm blanket covering her body. As she sat up, she noticed that it was even tucked in. She looked around, but did not see Naruto. She swung her legs off of the cot, and began putting her boots on when she saw a hastily written note on the ground. She picked it up and unfolded it, her eyes processing the words on the paper. It read:

'Sakura-chan,  
Thank you for healing all of my scratches. I didn't think I needed it, there are so many people that need your abilities more than me, but I appreciate it. I'm sorry we couldn't hang out today, but if you come by some other time, I promise I won't pass out.  
-Naruto'

Sakura folded the note back up and placed it in one of her shirt pockets. She put her boots on and ran out to try and find where Naruto could be. She checked the other shinobi's campsites, the Hokage's tent, even Ichiraku's make-shift ramen stall. He wasn't at any of those places. Then, she remembered about what Tsunade told her. _'Naruto has made a small camp in the forest to the East,' _her words echoed in Sakura's mind. She immediately ran to the forest that Naruto's camp was said to be, her way lit by the moon with a sky full of stars telling her that all of her problems will be resolved.

* * *

As she entered the forest, the moon above her was lost amongst the foliage of the trees. She stumbled through them, tripping over rocks and roots until she saw a faint orange glow in the distance. She approached it slowly, her eyesight finally adjusting to the darkness, and discovered that it was a fire. As she snuck up on the fire, she noticed that that it was in the middle of a clearing. Sakura hid behind a tree just on the edge of the clearing, taking a look around. There was a shelter consisting of some large fallen branches propped up against the trunk of a tree. On the other side of the fire was a collection of personal belongings, including some scrolls, weapons, and some extra clothes. In the middle, staring deep into the fire, was Naruto. He was sitting the same way she had seen him earlier that day. 'What could he be thinking about?' she wondered.

"Sakura-chan, you should be asleep," Naruto said suddenly, still keeping his eyes fixed on the fire. "What are you doing up?"

Sakura reluctantly left her hiding spot and walked out into the open, confused. "How did you know I was here? I was completely silent."

"I could feel your presence. I feel everything that happens in nature," Naruto replied with his eyes still watching the flames dance before him.

Sakura was impressed at the power that his senjutsu training had given him. She approached the fire and sat down next to him. "I think you're the one that should be asleep right now," she said, with a hint of concern in her voice.

"Can't sleep," he muttered, eyes still fixated on the fire in front of him. Sakura was about to respond when he began to unzip his jacket. Without adjusting his gaze, he handed her the jacket. "Here, you need this."

Sakura looked at the jacket. "Naruto, what are you talk-" Her sentences was interrupted by a shiver that ran from her tailbone all the way up her spine. She cautiously took the jacket and placed it over her shoulders. It was warm, although not particularly clean-smelling.

"Sorry, I was going to wash it tomorrow."

Sakura stared at Naruto. "How did you know?"

"About the smell? Or about how you'd be cold?"

"..."

"Well, I hadn't washed it in a while, and I figured that you wouldn't particularly enjoy the smell of my hard work," he laughed quietly at the last statement. "As for you being cold, I could feel the cold breeze heading this way."

Sakura sat in silence, eyes concentrated on the face of her teammate. The flickering light created shadows that danced across his figure. His deep blue eyes continued to stare deep into the fire, as if searching for something. Looking into his eyes brought back memories of all of the times they had together, both good and bad. She had a deep concern growing for him; she always hated seeing him depressed.  
"Sakura-chan," Naruto asked, pulling her from her flashbacks. "What's wrong?"

Sakura looked at him in disbelief "You can sense that too?"

"I can do more than just feel the presence of people," he said softly. "When I am one with nature, I can feel everything. Right now, I can feel that you are disrupting the balance of this area. There is something burdening your mind. Take that weight off of your shoulders."

Sakura sighed and looked at the ground. "I'm worried about you. You're working yourself to the point of exhaustion every day, you don't even have a tent, and when I was treating you earlier, it seemed like you haven't been eating enough."

"Sakura-chan, don't worry about those things. I'm doing fine, even without eating lun-" He tried to stop his sentence, but it was too late.

"You've been working doing all of that work on two meals a day? I can barely manage to get by on three!"

Naruto smiled, and the fire seemed to glow brighter. "Sakura-chan, I'm fine. When I get really hungry, nature provides me with what I need; fresh water, a few edible plants, sometimes the generous old rabbit or bird that will pass away soon anyway. Besides, my lunch isn't going to waste. I asked for my share of food to go to the younger children. They need it more than I do. Now, before you say anything, I know that's not what's bothering you." Sakura shifted her gaze to the ground again. "Sakura-chan, you can tell me."

"I- It's… It's just that…" Sakura looked into Naruto's eyes, which were still searching for something within the flames. "I'm tired of… of seeing you like this. I can tell that you're thinking deeply about something, and it's bothering you. Please…" She scooted closer to her troubled teammate. "Please… tell me…"

Naruto finally shifted his gaze to her and gave his trademark smile; if it was any bigger, he would tear his cheeks. Sakura looked deep into his eyes. Two twin pools, two deep wells filled with compassion. The firelight, however, revealed something deeper. There was something darker that he was hiding beneath the charade. "Sakura-chan, really. I'm fi-"

"Don't give me that bullshit, Naruto," Sakura cried out, overcome with waves of emotion. "Why do you always try to hide your feelings behind that fucking mask of yours?" The smile on his face slowly diminished before dropping clear off, shattering into a million pieces. "Why can't you tell me what's bothering you?" she continued, her voice filled with concern. "I'm tired of seeing you like this."

Naruto looked at his friend, then shifted his gaze to the rustling leaves above him. Finding no comfort there, he turned back to the dancing flames. "So, the fire showed you the truth, too," he said quietly. Looking back at Sakura, his eyes locked on hers. He saw a pair of green eyes looking back at him. Their gaze pierced him with their beauty; more sweet than the nectar of the gods, more luring than the siren's song, more mysterious than… Shino. He mentally punched himself for not being able to think of something more romantic. Nevertheless, they were beautiful. Behind her gorgeous green eyes, though, was a look of worry for his well-being. "I've just been thinking, about the attack. How one person could do so much damage. Cause so much destruction, so much suffering, so much… pain…" Naruto's eyes began to tear up as he thought about the aftermath of the battle.

"Naruto," Sakura said quietly. "I know sometimes it can seem bad. Hell, I see the worst of it; I work in the hospital. I deal with the most injured people in all of Konoha!" As soon as Sakura said this, Naruto began to frown.

"Sakura-chan, those are the lucky ones. The ones that have only been hurt physically. They can heal; they can get better and forget the pain." Sakura brought her eyebrows together in confusion, while Naruto continued. "You're lucky the hospital is where it is; right next to your tent. The true pain lies outside the shinobi campsites, where the everyday citizens are forced to live in crowded quarters. _That's_ where the true suffering resides. When I walk into the city… sorry, the _remnants_of the great and powerful Hidden Leaf village, I look around at all of the people. They're mere skeletons!" His eyes began to water, and Sakura suspected it wasn't from the smoke of the fire. "You think I look thin, Sakura, there are people out there who have not eaten in days. Mothers and fathers skipping meals so that their children can survive, thrive, and grow. Parents telling their children that they feel fine and that everything will get better, even as they succumb to the rampant diseases and when they know that they are going to live in those horrible conditions for a long time." Sakura watched as the strongest ninja in the whole village, possibly even the whole world, wept openly, tears saturating the dirt beneath him. "Yesterday, I saw something that should never happen, and I hope I never see it again. There were children huddling over a mass of cloth; poking it, crying over it. These children, they couldn't have been older than 6. They rolled it over, and I saw that it was the lifeless body of their mother. These children were ripped away from their source of life at such a young age! No medicine can heal that kind of wound… While the children were crying, a group of other adults appeared and shoved the kids away, taking away all the belongings that they could from the dead body. I ran over and knocked them out cold, but the image remains burned in my mind. Is this the kind of world we live in now, where we wait for those close to us to die so that we may have what little they had?" Naruto hands were covering his face as he allowed his emotions to run free, creating channels in the folds of his hands before cascading to the ground, each tear a memory he had tried to forget. He managed to speak one more time between his sobs before he could no longer do anything but release his tears. "I… I can't… believe that… that this is… all happe…ning be…cause of…me…"

Sakura looked at her closest friend in disbelief. She hadn't seen him cry this much since Gaara died. Even that paled in comparison to what she was witnessing now. She saw his quivering form, sitting cross-legged; elbows on his knees, hands over his face in a futile attempt to stop the torrent of emotions. She could hear him take in shallow, uncontrollable breaths, trying to get oxygen into his lungs, but barely managing. Before she knew what she was doing, she lunged at him and wrapped her arms around him. "Don't you ever think that, Naruto!" she cried out. "It's not your fault, and those fucking bastards from Akatsuki! _They're_ the ones that attacked the village, _they're_ the ones who put us through all of this! It wasn't you, Naruto… It wasn't you…"

Naruto felt her arms wrap around his shoulders. He looked at his pink-haired friend and saw that her face had moved incredibly close to his. "Sakura-chan, we… both know… that's not true. You know… that… they were…. after me," he sobbed, reminding her of the demon sealed within him.

Sakura pulled him away and, with her hands gripping his shoulders tightly, forced him to look her in the eyes. "Naruto, it's not your fault! They weren't after you, they were after that fucking demon! Those are two separate things! You're not a demon; you never were, and you never will be!" Sakura couldn't control herself. Tears had started falling from her own eyes.

Naruto wiped his eyes and looked deep into hers. "Sakura-chan, please… Don't cry," he said, taking his thumb and wiping the tears from her cheeks before they could reach her chin, leaving a smudgemark where his thumb had been. "I'm… I'm sorry you had to see that. It's just that… I don't want other people to have to suffer. Like you, Sakura-chan."

"Naruto, what are you talking about? I'm not suff-"

"Sakura-chan," he said, his gaze unfaltering. "There's something deeper that is bothering you. Something that's been in the back of your mind for some time now."

"..."

"Sakura-chan, I want to help y-"

"That's the problem!" Sakura exclaimed, startling Naruto. "_You're_ always the one helping _me_! Whenever I try to help you, my actions are insignificant. I can't do anything! I've _never_been able to help you! I just wish there was something I could do…"

Sakura lowered her head and closed her eyes, tears building up and threatening to escape. Naruto looked at her and quickly tried to cheer her up. "Sakura-chan, you _have_ helped me. You've always been there for me. Whenever I was depressed, you were there to cheer me up. Whenever I was hurt, you were there to take care of me. Whenever I was lonely, you kept me company." Sakura looked up at Naruto, and saw a smile on his face. This one was different, though; it was a true, genuine smile. "You were one of my first friends, in a time when I thought I'd be alone forever. You were the light that brought me out of the darkness. And you are the reason I am what I am today. Without you, I'd probably be a weak excuse for a ninja, assuming I would have survived any of my missions at all. I've never had a chance to say this, but… thank you. For everything you've ever done for me." Sakura saw a look in his eyes that told her that every word that had just come out of his mouth was from the heart. He we being completely sincere. It was as if a large burden had been lifted from her shoulders. His smile was big and goofy, as always, but she could tell it was not forced. Looking at his face, she saw hope and understanding. She saw determination and humility. She saw a compassion that was as large as a calm blue sea. She saw a person who would always put her in front of himself, and would care about her until the day she died.

Her train of thought came to a screeching halt. 'Wait a minute, where do I remember that from?' Her mind searched for the moment until she found herself in the Konoha Library. Sitting at a table across from her was the new addition to her team, Sai, who was reading books about emotions.

* * *

_'Hey, Sakura,' he asked. 'This book keeps talking about love. What is love?'_

_Sakura smiled and thought for a minute before replying. 'Well… it's a… it's kind of a… Hmm, let me put it this way; when one person loves another person, they will be willing to put the other person's wants and needs before their own. They would always care about what happened to the other person; share in the delights of the other's success, bear the pain with their failures, but always care about one another.'_

_'Hmm…' Sai thought carefully, processing Sakura's words one by one. Then, he smiled. 'I think I understand what love is. Thank you,' he said before returning to his book._

* * *

'He loves me,' she thought to herself, bringing her mind back to the present. Somewhere, deep in her heart, she knew that she felt the same way towards him. She wanted to be there for him, through thick and thin, good and bad. She wanted to be his crutch, for him to lean on her when he couldn't carry himself. Most of all, though, she wanted him to feel loved. And she knew that he would do the same for her. She moved her hand towards her new-found love and placed it on his cheek. This earned her a surprised look from Naruto.  
"Sakura-chan…" he managed to say, his voice slightly wavering. "What… what are you…?"

"The fire has helped me see the truth yet again. In your eyes, I saw all the things that you would do for me if it made me happy. I saw all of the devotion, the caring. I wish I had seen how you felt for me sooner. But I want you to know that I feel the same way for you." Sakura slowly cupped Naruto's face with both hands and brought her face to his, closing her eyes. As she moved closer, the anticipation for what was about to occur grew until…

She felt him move away.

Sakura opened her eyes and felt a pang of disappointment. "Naruto," she said, her voice as sweet as honey. "Why? Isn't this what you've wanted for so long?"

Naruto's brain was already overloaded with emotion. The girl he had been pursuing for so long, the one that he had tried to impress from the beginning, had tried to kiss him. "Sakura-chan, you're right; this is what I've always wanted," he said, looking into her eyes. "But…"  
That last word, the 'B' word, struck her through the heart. He continued, "I don't want you to do this out of pity, or because you think I'm lonely. More than that, though, I don't want to hurt you. I'm afraid if we were together, I would only bring you pain and harassment. And if saving you from that pain means giving up on my own dreams, than so be it."

Sakura was touched; he cared so much about her that he was willing to give up on her just so that she could be happy. This only helped to confirm Sakura's decision. He was the one for her. And she would be the one to love him and cherish him forever. "Naruto-kun," she said, making sure he took notice of the honorific at the end. "I'm sure. I want to be the one by your side, through all of life's obstacles. I know that no matter what happens, you will be there for me, and I want to be there for you, too." At this, she took his chin in her fingers and delicately brought it towards her face. "I want this for you, Naruto. But I also want this for me, because…" Their lips were just barely apart as she finished her sentence,

"I love you…"

With this, she slowly lowered her eyelids as she closed the gap between them. This time, Naruto didn't pull away. When their lips finally met, it was as if two wires had just crossed. There was a spark, a jolt of love and romance between the two as they allowed themselves to give in to the other. Sakura felt Naruto's hand stroke her cheek gently, pushing a lock of hair over the top of her ear before returning it to the side of her face. After a few moments, Sakura pulled back, releasing their lips as they looked each other in the eye, seeing the adoration and compassion that had just been exchanged.

"I love you too, Sakura-chan," Naruto replied. His voice was not loud and boisterous as it was usually; no, it was quiet and sincere, conveying the extent of his love for her. He was still a little shocked at the revelation of her love, let alone his first kiss; but his heart told him that this was the way it was meant to be. He slid his body next to hers, throwing an arm around her shoulders and holding her close. Sakura returned the embrace with fervor, nuzzling her forehead into his strong chest. The sat like this for a long time, merely enjoying each others company. Nothing could ruin this moment.

*Yawn*

Well, maybe that could ruin the moment. Sakura looked up at Naruto as he took in a deep breath, remembering that he was already on low fuel. "Naruto, are you bored of me?"

Naruto answered her question by holding her tighter and kissing her on the forehead. "Of course not! I'm just a bit tired," he said, trying to hold back another yawn, but failing. "I think I should go to sleep." He got up to go to his little hut, but Sakura held him fast.

"Please, Naruto. I don't want to be away from you right now."

"Well, I haven't added the guest room yet," he said, looking at his bed.

Sakura playfully pushed him. "No, no. I want you to come back to my tent."

Naruto raised an eyebrow before smiling. "Ok, but I call the floor."

"Oh no you don't," Sakura said sternly. "You are sleeping on the bed. No more sleeping on the ground for you."

"Sakura-chan, I don't want you to sleep on the floor. You're too beautiful for that."

Sakura blushed at the last comment. 'Touché,' she thought. She walked over to him slowly before wrapping her arms around his waist. "Who said anything about me sleeping on the floor?"

"Sakura-chan, if you're not sleeping on the floor, where will y- EHHHHH!" he exclaimed, understanding the meaning. Sakura giggled at his reaction. "I- you want me to- and we wi-" She cut him off with a quick kiss.

"Naruto, the cot is just big enough for two people," she said, daintily tugging him towards the direction of her tent. "But if you try and anything," she added sternly, "I will make sure you will never be able to leave a bed again." She looked at Naruto's frightened expression; she couldn't hold it in anymore. She began laughing, while Naruto still stood there frightened.

"Sakura-chan, don't scare me like that," he begged. He twirled her once before kissing her on the lips.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," she replied, kissing him one last time before leading him off to her tent for a restful sleep.

* * *

"Where the hell is she?" Tsunade yelled out. "We have a bunch of patients at the hospital, and she's not there." She was furious. The hospital was already short-staffed, and the infamous 'Pudding Lady' wouldn't eat anything unless it was from Sakura. "If she's sleeping in, I'm going to make sure she never wakes up," Tsunade growled, gritting her teeth and cracking her knuckles as she headed towards a tent at the top of a hill. She opened the flap and was about to let loose her torrent of words when she stopped. There, on the cot under a tattered blanket, was Sakura, sleeping peacefully. Lying beside her was Naruto, with his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her in snuggly and keeping her warm. Tsunade smiled and closed the flap. 'Well, I guess I'll be doing hospital duty today,' Tsunade thought to herself as she walked away from the sleeping couple, letting them enjoy their time together.


	3. Chapter 3

The sky above the newly built Konoha faded from light blue to a deep, dark blue, to the night sky as the sun set, causing progressively growing shadows on the ground. Sakura wiped a bead of sweat from her brow and continued walking down the hallway of the new Hokage palace. She knocked on Tsunade's door and cracked it open. "Tsunade-sama?"

"Come in, Sakura."

Sakura walked in and closed the door behind her. "I have gathered the documents you requested," she reported, handing her the stack of various files and folders.

"Ahh, thank you," Tsunade said, taking the rather heavy pile of papers from Sakura and looking over them. "Hopefully, it wasn't anything too difficult."

"Well, there was one thing," Sakura started. Tsunade looked up from the papers. "You had requested something from the restricted area, and I didn't have the clearance to enter."

"I thought I had told the guard to let you in… Or maybe I had said Shizune… I don't know. Oh well, let's go get those scrolls." Tsunade stood up and beckoned for Sakura to follow her. They walked down to the restricted area, and were allowed access by the guard. Sakura gazed around in amazement at the enormous number of scrolls that were kept in the room.

"Tsunade-sama, may I ask you something?" Sakura asked.

"Go ahead."

"I know you gave me the identity of the scroll, but it was only a number. What is inside of that scroll that you need?"

Tsunade stopped and began searching browsing through the scrolls on the wall. "I figured you would ask that eventually. Ah, here it is!" she exclaimed as she pulled a scroll down, causing the ones above it to fall down and fill the new vacancy. "This scroll is something that one of my top ninja had requested." Taking a quick look around, she pulled two more scrolls down. "These would be useful as well," she added, collecting the scrolls in her arms and walking back towards the door.

"What does this ninja need forbidden scrolls for?"

"Sakura, this is a common misconception. While many scrolls in here are indeed forbidden, there are a few that are kept in that room for security purposes. Others, such as these two that I just grabbed, are kept in there to ensure that no genin try to use these jutsu that are just plain over their heads. They are not necessarily restricted; the Hokage will give these scrolls to those he or she deems worthy of using them. They must be returned, of course, but they are an excellent tool for learning advanced techniques. Speaking of which," she said as she began browsing the scrolls once more, "Sakura, grab those scrolls right there. Numbers 749 through 752."

Sakura picked up the four scrolls and looked over them. "Tsunade, does that ninja really need this many scrolls?"

"Of course not. Look who wrote those scrolls."

Sakura opened one of the scrolls and read the title. "Advanced Medical Techniques I, written by…" Sakura stopped reading and looked up at her master. "You wrote these?"

"Indeed I did. These are four of the scrolls I wrote when I was younger. There is a lot of information in them that I have not taught you yet. Look over them, and we will review them over the next few months. Ok?"

Sakura felt a huge grin appear on her face. "Hai, Tsunade-sama."

"Good. Ok, let's get out of here. I have a lot of work I need to do. You're done for today, though. Why don't you go home and spend you evening with Naruto. I'm sure he'd love to spend time with you.  
"Uhh, sure. Thank you, Tsunade-sama. Good luck with your work."

Sakura said over her shoulder as she began to leave the Hokage palace. 'That's strange', she thought to herself. 'Tsunade has never said anything like that before… Oh well…' She shrugged it off and walked home.

* * *

Tsunade sat down in her office and began to read over the documents that Sakura had brought her. Medical reports, applications for vacations, court rulings; nothing very exciting. A knock on the door shook her from her work. "Come in."

The door opened to reveal a lone ninja. He walked in silently and closed the door behind him. "Do you have the scrolls I requested?"

"Ah, it's you. Yes, I have them right here," Tsunade said is she handed him the scrolls. "You know, you don't have to do this yet."

"No, I have to do it now. I'm already overdue, but I had to help rebuild the village first. Now that everything has been rebuilt, I must go."

"How will you communicate with us?"

"Same way _he_ did. You know how it works."

"Anything else you need me to get you?"

"I'd like to know what these two scrolls are."

"They contain some information that I think would be relevant to you."

The ninja opened one the scrolls and read it out loud. "Wind-Style Techniques, written by Sarutobi Asuma…"

"I thought you'd find that useful. So when are you leaving?"

The ninja pushed some of his blonde hair out of his eyes and rolled up the scroll. "I'm leaving tonight, after Sakura falls asleep."

"Will she know you'll be leaving?"

"Hopefully not. If she found out, there's no way I would be able to leave."

"Well, good luck with that. I hope that she doesn't take it too hard. I did give her some scrolls to help her pass the time while you're gone."

"I'm sure she'll have them all mastered by the time I'm back."

"Well, you'd better go. I just sent her home and told her to enjoy an evening with you."

Naruto looked up and gave her a smile. "Don't worry; I have a shadow clone at home right now. I'll just need to switch with him."

Tsunade got out of her chair and gave Naruto a quick hug. "Good luck, and stay safe. Make sure you keep in touch."

Naruto grabbed his scrolls and headed over to the window. "Don't worry, I will." With that, he jumped out of the window and began running home.

* * *

"Naruto, are you here?" Sakura called out as she opened the door to Naruto's new home, which was only about five times larger than his old apartment. The villagers had offered to build him a large mansion, but Naruto refused their help, building his own home himself. It wasn't exactly large, but it was a comfortable size for one person. He didn't have a lot of furniture, but he didn't really need it. He had all that he needed; a bed (large enough for two to sleep comfortably, if the need arose), a furbished kitchen, and a mostly empty living room. A new addition, which surprised many people, was a personal library. He said it was for jutsu scrolls, but Sakura had seen a few books on the shelves as well. She had never really thought of him as the reading type, but after having trained under a 'writer', she figured even Naruto could change.

"I'm in the kitchen, Sakura-chan."

Sakura set down her scrolls by the front door and walked into the kitchen to see Naruto in front of an array of pots and pans. "Oh wow. What are you making?"

"Ramen. What else?" Sakura raised an eyebrow at his choice of meals. "Don't worry," he assured her. "It's not just cup ramen."

"I was about to ask about all of the other cookware."

"Sorry, can't tell you; it's a surprise. It'll be done in about 20 minutes, so just go ahead and relax until then." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and a smile, and Sakura left him to his cooking. Back in the living room, she spread out the first scroll that Tsunade gave her and began to read over it. Everything Sakura thought she knew about medical jutsu was turned upside down as she studied over the parchment.

"Sakura-chan, what is that?" she heard Naruto ask. She looked up to see him squatting on the other side of the scroll.

"Oh, it's just a medical jutsu scroll that Tsunade-sama gave me."

"Well, dinner's ready now," Naruto told her with a smile. She grinned back, stood up, and saw that Naruto had already set the table and had food sitting out. She took her seat and looked at the food before her. To say she was surprised would have been an understatement; the aroma of Naruto's cooking made her mouth water and her stomach began to growl and the sight of the home-made ramen. She took her chopsticks and placed some of the noodles in her mouth.

"Oh wow, this is really good! How did you learn to cook like this?"

"Little bit from Icharaku, a little bit from living outside of the village during the rebuilding process. I sort of got a feel for what herbs and plants would go well with what foods. I'm glad you like it, though."

"I should have you cook for me more often," Sakura teased him.

"If you enjoy it that much, I would do it every night," Naruto replied, earning him a kiss from across the table.

'That's why I love you' Sakura thought to herself as she and Naruto spent their evening together, enjoying each other's company and basking in each other's romance.

* * *

'Ok, I think I have everything,' Naruto thought to himself, running over a mental checklist of things that he would need. He walked back into his bedroom one last time to see Sakura sleeping peacefully in his bed. "I really hate having to do this, but it's for the good of the village," he whispered as he sat down next to her and stroked her hair softly. Leaning down, he gave her one last kiss.

"Why do you have to go now, though," he heard Sakura ask weakly.

'Damn,' Naruto thought. "Sakura, I'm sorry, but I have to do this now. I should have done it earlier, but I had to make sure that the entire village was rebuilt."

Sakura rolled over and looked into Naruto's eyes. "But why do you have to go? Why can't you stay here?"

Naruto diverted his gaze for a few seconds before looking back at Sakura. "The village has a lot of sources of information located throughout the world. While I was with Jiraya, we would sometimes stop and gather intel from these informants. Now that he's gone, I have to take over. His responsibilities have been passed on to me. Just as Tsunade's will one day be passed on to you."

Sakura sat up and wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck. "Just promise me you'll be careful, ok?"

Naruto squeezed her lightly, returning the embrace. "Don't worry, I will. It'll only be for a few months, and then we'll be back together again," he assured her, before giving her a small kiss and pulling away from the hug. He gathered up his things and put on his sage coat and scroll. He turned back to his girlfriend and whispered "I love you."

"I love you too, Naruto-kun. Be safe."

"I will." And with that, he was off.

'I'll miss you…' Sakura thought to herself as she lay back down and tried to fall asleep, her body feeling vulnerable and naked without Naruto's arms around her. 'I'll be counting the days until you get back…' With that, she drifted off into her dreams.

* * *

'Well, here we go,' Naruto thought to himself as he flew over the new wall surrounding Konoha, his home that he was about to leave behind, even if just for a few months. 'I'm gonna miss this place, but this is something I have to do; both for Konoha and for myself.' He looked down and prodded at his stomach. 'You hear that? I'm gonna learn to control you. You're never going to take over me again.' He looked back one last time to see the moonlight shining over Konoha, before leaping through the trees towards his first destination.


	4. Chapter 4

Sakura was sitting at a table at the library, reading over the third of four scrolls that Tsunade had given her about a month-and-a-half earlier. At first, she had trouble wrapping her head around the new ideas, but after a while it became easier. After only two weeks, she started noticing major differences in her medical abilities; she was able to heal more serious wounds, and could work for longer periods without succumbing to fatigue or chakra exhaustion.

"Hey Sakura, what'cha reading?"

Sakura looked up to see Ino sit down on the other side of the table.

"I'm reading over the scrolls that Tsunade-sama gave me. I'm really starting to understand it now!"

"Really? I didn't know that there was anything else to learn."

"Oh, there are a lot of new techniques to learn. Tsunade gave me these four scrolls, and they turned my world upside down."

"Fine, tell me something that you learned."

Sakura rolled up the scroll and placed her arm on the table. "Ok. Let's have you start. Increase the circulation in my arm."

Ino shrugged and placed her hands over Sakura's exposed forearm. She closed her eyes and concentrated on channeling her chakra into Sakura's capillaries, causing a soft green glow to emanate from her hands. Slowly, Ino sensed that Sakura's blood vessels were opening up, allowing more blood to flow through. "Ok, there. So what was the point of that?"

"Put your arm on the table, and I'll do the same to you."

"Are we just going to practice these basic skills, or is there actually something I'm going to learn here?" she asked as she lay her arm down.

"Just watch, and feel." With that, Sakura took Ino's arm in her hands. However, Sakura held it differently than Ino had. Ino placed both of her hands a few inches above the top of Sakura's skin. Sakura held Ino's arm with both hands, one hand on the top of her arm near her wrist and the other hand underneath near her elbow. Sakura closed her eyes, and Ino began to feel a tingling sensation in her arm. She also noticed that Sakura's hands were not glowing. Ino suddenly realized that the tingling in her arm was her chakra moving down her arm, from one of Sakura's hands to the other. Once all of Ino's blood vessels were opened, Sakura opened her eyes and removed her hands.

"What… What did you do?" Ino asked.

"I used your own chakra to increase your circulation."

"You used my own chakra?"

"By placing my hands on the different parts of your arm like that, I can direct your own chakra to performing the healing, rather than using my own chakra stores."

Ino's eyes were wide with shock. "Wow… I guess I have quite a bit to learn."

"I'll talk to Tsunade-sama about letting you read over those scrolls."

"Thanks, Sakura. So, is there anything else that you can show me?"

Sakura smiled and was about to open one of her first scrolls when an ANBU appeared before them.

"Haruno Sakura, the Hokage has requested you for a mission briefing. Please report to her office immediately." Just as suddenly as he had appeared, the ANBU vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Sakura looked at Ino, sighed, and packed up her scrolls. "Sorry Ino, maybe another time."

Ino stood up and helped Sakura gather her things. "No worries. Missions are missions, and you are needed. Try not to have too much fun, ok?"

Sakura laughed quietly and headed on her way.

* * *

"Ahh, Sakura. Just in time," Tsunade said as Sakura opened the door to her office. "I was just about to go over the mission with your teammates."

Sakura closed the door and saw Hinata, Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru looking back at her. She bowed slightly before turning her attention back to Tsunade.

"This may be a simple mission, but it may also be extremely difficult." Tsunade takes a deep breath before continuing. "As you know, Naruto has left about six weeks ago."

As soon as Tsunade mentioned Naruto's name, Sakura's heart began pounding, and she began to feel nervous. "Is he ok? What happened to him?" Sakura asked, panicked.

"I'm about to get to that, Sakura. As I was saying, Naruto left about six weeks ago to collect information from an information route that Jiraya had created. He would normally send me a messenger toad two times a week. However," Tsunade continued, "I have yet to receive word from him in the past week and a half. He may be busy and hasn't had time. Perhaps he's not in a position to send me a messenger toad yet. But with Naruto being the last of the Jinchuuriki, we must be cautious." With that, she pulled out a map and beckoned for the four ninja to look it over. "Naruto's last report was sent from this village," she started, indicating the small town on the map. "From here, Jiraya would have gone this way, passing by these three towns on the path." Tsunade's finger moved across the parchment along one of the paths. "Your best bet is to start from the first town and move your way down the path. Hinata, Shino, Kiba; you have been chosen due to your reputation as trackers. Sakura, you have been chosen because you know the most about Naruto, and would know where he would most likely be." Tsunade rolled up the map and handed it to Shino, who placed it in his backpack. "Shino will be the team leader for this mission. Any questions?" The four shook their heads 'no'. "Very well, then. I would like for you to leave imm-"

"You will need more than those four ninja, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade and the chuunin turned to look at a strange man standing next to the window. He was wearing a plain brown wanderer's robe with his hood up, hiding his face. Sakura noticed that he appeared to be unarmed, but she knew better than to let that lull her into a false sense of security. "Who are you, and what business have you sneaking into my office?" Tsunade asked the stranger.

"My name is Hogosha. I am a wanderer, tied to no one village."

Kiba and Akamaru immediately took fighting stances and charged at the newcomer. An instant before they hit their mark, Hogosha sidestepped their attack, sending them crashing into the wall behind him.

"Hokage-sama, I advise that you have your ninja stand down."

"Kiba! Akamaru! Leave him be for now. Hogosha, you said?" She asked, turning to the robed man. "You must have had a reason for coming to Konoha and sneaking in though my window. Why are you here?"

"Yes, of course. However, I can only reveal this information to you. I must ask that these four, and the dog, wait outside until I am finished."

"What're you, crazy? I'm not leaving just because some strange guy in a hood tells me to!" Sakura yelled at him. "Why're you wearing that thing, anyway? If you want us to trust you, start by showing your face."

"Very well then. You would like to see my face, you shall see it." Hogosha pulled his hood back and revealed himself. His skin was a very dark tan, and he had brown hair. What surprised everybody, though, were his eyes. Or, rather, the inability to see them. He wore a thick black headband with a blank steel plate that covered his eyes; similar to the steel plates on the Konoha forehead protectors, but with no village symbol, and crafted to fit around the bridge of his nose and to cover his forehead. "Now," he started, breaking the silence, "if you would please give your Hokage and I some time alone, I must speak with her about some pressing matters."

"What is so important that only Tsunade-sama is permitted to hear it?" Sakura asked.

"It is information regarding one Uzumaki Naruto," Hogosha replied calmly. Sakura's knees felt weak, and she felt tear come to her eyes. "If you would like to know more, please gather your other friends and bring them here." They all looked at him before quickly running out the door in search of their friends. Once they all left, Hogosha closed the door and lowered all of the blinds. Once he was sure they were alone, he pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to the Hokage. "Please read over this; as soon as you are done, burn the paper. Do not repeat anything that was on there, and act like it was never given to you." Tsunade looked at the man strangely before scanning over the paper.

* * *

"Out of my way!" Sakura yelled as she ran through the streets back towards the Hokage palace. Sakura and Team 8 had found everybody else and were now headed back to Tsunade's office to find out what the strange man had to say about Naruto's whereabouts. Sakura ran down the narrow corridors and barged in through Tsunade's closed door. "There, I've collected everybody! Now tell me where Naruto is!" she panted, trying to catch her breath.

Hogosha waited until everyone had entered before once again closing the door. "What I am about to tell you all may worry some of you…"

"Just tell us already!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Very well. You have all been brought here, but you do not know why. I have recently come across information regarding Uzumaki Naruto, and you will all be needed for this next misson."

"Why do you need all of us?" Shikamaru asked.

"Because Uzumaki Naruto… has been captured by Akatsuki."


	5. Chapter 5

"Uzumaki Naruto… has been captured by Akatsuki."

"What!?" Sakura cried. "How could that have happened?"

"He was ambushed by Uchiha Sasuke and his team. He was fighting well until Sasuke caught him in his Tsukuyomi by using his Mangekyou Sharingan," Hogosha explained.

"Sasuke did this? Were you there? Why didn't you do anything? Naruto could be-"

"Sakura," Tsunade said in a calm tone, "Please calm down. Hogosha knows what he's doing"

Shikamaru stepped forth. "Tsunade-sama, are you sure that we can trust him?" he asked.

Tsunade nodded. "He is trustworthy. He is an old acquaintance of Jiraya's, so he is reputable."

Shikamaru bowed slightly before turning to Hogosha. "In that case, I'm sure you have a plan for us."

"How do you know he's not controlling Tsunade? What if he's not who he says he is?" Kiba asked, still untrusting of the newcomer.

"Neji…" Shikamaru started.

"Got it. Byakugan!" Neji activated his Kekkei Genkai and looked over at Tsunade. "Her chakra paths are normal. She is not under the effect of a genjutsu." He looked over at Hogosha to investigate his chakra. "This man is not utilizing any of his chakra." Neji narrowed his eyes for a brief second before relaxing his face again.

"Neji, did you see something?" Kiba asked.

"No, it's fine. I believe this man is telling the truth," Neji concluded.

"Now that we have established that you are not our enemy, care to tell us your plan?" Shikamaru asked.

"Of course." Hogosha reached into his robe and pulled out a map. He unrolled it and indicated a point on the parchment. "Naruto was here when he was attacked. I had one of my comrades follow them, and I am to meet up with him at this point here," he said as he pointed to another spot. "We will head out to this point two hours after the end of this briefing. We will then head to the rendezvous point and camp there. I will be meeting with my comrade that evening. After that, we will spend one day planning and strategizing how to rescue Naruto."

"We don't have time to spend an entire day planning!" Sakura exclaimed.

"We have to save him befo-"

"The remaining Akatsuki members have yet to find out that he has been captured, and even when they do, it will take them a while to get to where Naruto is. If we rush things, we may ruin our chance at getting him back alive. However, if we all cooperate, we will be able to save him in time. Now, are there any more questions?"

The other ninja looked at each other briefly before shaking their heads. "Excellent. Please gather all of your equipment and meet me by the western gates in two hours. Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Neji, and Hyuuga Hinata, please stay behind." All of the ninja except for the aforementioned three left to gather their things. Hogosha waited until the last of them had left before closing the door. He then went around and once again closed all of the blinds. Assured that they were alone, he turned the Neji and the others. "I'm sure you have some questions. I will now explain to the three of you the complete truth of the situation."

* * *

Kiba had arrived to the western gate about 15 minutes early. "I don't know, Akamaru… I guess he's trustworthy, but there's something suspicious about him…" Akamaru let out a low bark in agreement.

"Anything I can do to gain your trust?" Kiba heard a voice ask from behind him, and he immediately knew who it belonged to.

"Well, sneaking up on me like that doesn't help," Kiba responded, turning around.

"Understandable. Anything else?"

Kiba was about to respond when he saw Hinata approaching the gate. She walked to the two of them and bowed slightly. "Hello Kiba, Hogosha-san."

"Hello again, Hinata. Do you have everything you need?"

Kiba looked at Hinata questioningly. "Hogosha-_san_? So… you trust him too?" Hinata turned to him and nodded. "Well," Kiba continued, looking back at Hogosha, "I guess I can trust you too."

A smile spread on Hogosha's face. "I'm glad. I hope that I will continue to gain your trust on this mission."

* * *

"This appears to be everybody. Is anybody not ready to go?" Shikamaru asked. The others said nothing. "If that is the case, I will now turn it over to Hogosha, who has some last minute details to go over with you all." Shikamaru stepped to the side and allowed Hogosha to step in front of the group.

"This will potentially be a very dangerous mission. Uchiha Sasuke is considered to be very dangerous, and the other three members of his group are also known to be powerful. Hoozuki Suigetsu was a trainee for the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, and has inherited the Guillotine Sword from Momochi Zabuza. Karin is believed to have chakra-sensing abilities, so we will have to be cautious as to not alert her of our presence. Jugo is the source of Orochimaru's curse seal, and has incredible strength and speed. If anyone is unsure about this mission, please leave now." After seeing nobody leave, he continued, "Shikamaru and I will be joint team leaders for this mission. If you have any questions, please run them by myself of Shikamaru. Any final questions?" Again, nobody made a move. "In that case, we will set off now." With that, Hogosha and the other ninja ran off into the forest, making their way towards the checkpoint.

* * *

After a couple of hours of traveling, the group made its way to the rendezvous point. "We are here," Hogosha addressed the group. They had stopped in a small clearing of trees next to a small lake. "This is where we will be camping tonight. As soon as you have set up your accommodations, Shikamaru will give you tasks to be completed. I have some errands that must be taken care of, so I will return later tonight." With that, Hogosha walked off into the forest.

"I will give you your assignments now, as to save time," Shikamaru announced. "Choji and Lee, I will put you in charge of gathering wood for a fire. Sakura and Ino, I would like for you to organize your medical supplies, and gather and wild ingredients that you think you may need; we don't know what condition Naruto will be in, so I want to be on the safe side. Shino, I would like for you to look for wild edible plants, and report their locations to me so that we can collect them later. Tenten, I would like you to take everyone's weapons and make sure that they are sharp and plentiful. Kiba and Hinata, please head upstream and collect some water; there is a lake right here, so just walk along the bank until you find some sufficiently running water. Neji will be patrolling the area, and I will be setting up all of the tents."

"Yosh! Let's get to work!"

"Calm down, Lee."

"Man, I'm hungry…"

"You're always hungry!"

"You're one to talk, Ino-pig!"

"Care to say that again, forehead-girl?"

Shikamaru let out a sigh. 'Why are girls always so troublesome?' he wondered to himself as he began setting up the first tent.

* * *

Hogosha trudged forward into the darkest part of the forest, walking towards a location known only to himself and his contact, Meibatsu, with whom he would soon meet.

"You're late."

Hogosha turned around to see a man wearing a dark robe. He had short brown hair, and wore a dark red headband around his eyes, with excess cloth draping down to cover the remainder of his face.

"I'm sorry, I came as soon as I could."

"I understand."

"So… what's the situation?"

"Pretty much the same as before you left. The remainder of Akatsuki has yet to find out, but once they do, we will have precious little time."

"How injured is he?"

"He has several bruises, some of which are pretty major. Suigetsu gave him some rather large cuts, but they're being careful not to kill him. However," Meibatsu continued, "he is slowly becoming weaker, especially when Karin and Suigetsu have their way with him."

"Do you have the scrolls I need?"

Meibatsu reached into his robe and pulled out two scrolls. Hogosha took them and placed them in his own robe. "I want you to make your move tomorrow afternoon."

Hogosha looked at Meibatsu questioningly. "Tomorrow afternoon? Why so early?"

"While he will survive for longer than that, I want to make sure that he is in pain for a little time as possible. I will do what I can for him, but there is only so much I can do without raising suspicion."

"I see. Should I assume you have an attack plan in one of these scrolls?"

"You assume correctly. Now, I must be going. Good luck." Just as quietly as Meibatsu arrived, he vanished leaving naught but a cloud of smoke.

"You're the one that needs the luck," Hogosha whispered in the wind, before hurrying back to the campsite.


	6. Chapter 6

Hogosha returned to the camp, where the young group of ninja was sitting around a large fire, the light of the flames flickering on their faces. Team 9 sitting on one end of the circle, with Ino and Choji snuggling up against each other for warmth. Next to Shikamaru was Neji and the rest of team 10, Tenten and Lee. Tenten was sitting between her two teammates, and was alternating looking at the fire and Neji, who was having an intellectual conversation with Shikamaru. Sitting next to Lee was Kiba, followed by Hinata and Shino, who was sitting next to Ino. He noticed that Kiba had given Hinata her jacket and Akamaru had curled around her body in an attempt to keep her warm. Hogosha also sensed that Kiba's and Hinata's hair was somewhat wet. He approached the fire and placed his hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. Shikamaru looked up and silently scooted over, allowing Hogosha to sit between himself and Neji.

"How did the rendezvous go?" Shikamaru asked.

"It went well," Hogosha answered. "My comrade gave me the information I needed. You, Neji, and I will go over these plans first thing tomorrow."

"Did your comrade have anything to say about Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Unfortunately, he did." Everyone leaned in as he continued. "He said that Suigetsu and Karin are going to 'have a little fun'. Naruto is not going to die, but I do not intend to let him undergo any more pain than he has to."  
"Then what are we doing sitting around? We need to go save him!"

"We will be executing our plan tomorrow afternoon. You need to be well rested, and we need time to come up with and finalize a plan."

Everyone sat in sullen silence, until Ino spoke up. "Ano… Hogosha?"

"Yes Ino?"

"If you don't mind my asking… could you tell us why you wear that faceplate?"

Hogosha smiled. "We're going to need to work together tomorrow; I guess filling you in on my past wouldn't hurt." As the fire burned in the middle of the circle, Hogosha began recalling his life.

* * *

"I was born and raised in a small town called Arabu to the south of Sunagakure. This town is in the middle of the harshest part of the desert; the only reason we could survive was because of the oasis that the town was centered around. Everyone there, like myself, has dark skin because of the unfaltering sunrays. Even though we lived in peaceful times, we underwent strict physical and martial training. I had just turned 12 when I noticed that I could sense people's presence, even when they were behind me. My village saw this potential as a gift, and I trained under the weapon master of the town. Even though I am thankful of the training I received, I longed for a peaceful, nomadic life. At the age of 16, I left my home and became a wanderer. For many years I walked from country to country, volunteering my services to causes I deemed worthy.

About 4 years after leaving home, I crossed paths with the legendary Sanin and hermit, Jiraya-sama. He was surprised to learn that, even though I detected him with my sensory abilities, I was not trained as a ninja. He invited me to follow him for a number of years as he tracked down his friend. During that time, he taught me how to better synergize my weapon proficiency and my hand-to-hand combat with my ability to sense chakra. Even though he did not teach me ninjutsu or genjutsu, I think that his training is what made me the most powerful.

One day, we managed to catch up with his former comrade, Orochimaru. Jiraya-sama tried to persuade him to return, but Orochimaru refused, saying that he wanted to learn every jutsu in the world. The conflict escalated, until we ended up battling. Orochimaru was extremely powerful, showing amazing regenerative abilities. Mid-way through the battle, Orochimaru summoned Manda, the giant serpent. Jiraya-sama responded by summoning Gamabunta. As I did not have a summoning pact of my own, I could only help by serving as backup. As Jiraya-sama was taking care of Manda, I tried to sneak up from behind to attack Orochimaru. He noticed me coming, but waited for me to get close. As I charged at him, he shot an acid spray at my face. Because I was running at him so quickly, I was unable to dodge it. The acid hit the upper half of my face and began burning my eyes. I writhed on the ground in pain, unable to see what was happening. I finally got the acid off of my face, but I still couldn't see anything. I sensed that Orochimaru had left, and Jiraya-sama was coming closer to me. He picked me up, cleaned off my face as much as he could, and took me to the nearest hospital.

By this time, I knew that I would never be able to see again. Even so, I knew that I was lucky. If I wasn't able to sense chakra like I can, I would have been unable to do anything. Jiraya offered to stay and help me recover, but I told him I would be fine on my own. Over the next few months, I honed my ability to navigate by use of my chakra sensing, and by the time I turned 23, I was able to move around without help. To cover my face, I decided to wear a headband like the major villages have, but to have it extend down to my nose. That is what you see me wearing now."

"If you move by sensing chakra, how do you move around in a forest or a building?" Kiba asked.

"People are easiest to detect because they emit their own chakra. For detecting non-living objects, I had to find another way to detect them, which I eventually did. Different materials have different levels of chakra permeability. I am able to sense where object are by sensing how the chakra my body naturally emits is refracted or reflected. I'll admit that it took a long time to learn how to do that well without looking weird or running into walls; but as time went on, it became more and more natural. As plus to this, though, is that I can pretty accurately tell materials apart from each other. It's always a good skill for weapons marketplaces, to make sure you're getting the real deal."

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Sakura asked.

"Not at all," Hogosha replied politely.

"You said that you had to go and meet a comrade. Who is he, and what is he like?"

"He's actually one of my personal friends from when I was living in Arabu. His name is Meibatsu, and he is chakra-sensing prodigy like me. We both underwent pretty much the same training during our earlier years; but, while I left the village to wander the world, he decided to train in the arts of ninjutsu and genjutsu under a hermit living on the edge of the desert. I guess you could say that this made us well-balanced teammates. Anyways, after recovering from my blindness, I decided to return to Arabu, where I asked about Meibatsu. It turned out that he was on a mission to infiltrate a corrupt politician's mansion, and had just requested extra help. I told my superiors that I would offer my assistance, and I left to go find him. When I arrived, though, I sensed that the mansion on fire, and a rogue ninja standing outside."

* * *

_"Who are you? What have you done?" I yelled over the roaring flames._

_"It doesn't matter who I am; I am just delivering punishment to the one who lived here. He didn't pay his dues."_

_"What dues would he have to pay to the likes of you?"_

_"Hiring a ninja costs money. He didn't pay his dues to me, so I took his house instead. I'd say that's a fair trade."_

_"Where is he now?"_

_"Right now, he's tied up in his house. He didn't want to part with his possessions, so I allowed him to be with his belongings to the very end. Very kind of me, don't you think?"_

_I was about to attack him, when I heard one of the support beam begin to crack._

_"You'd better hurry; if you don't, he and that other ninja are going to die in there."  
"Meibatsu!" I cried out as I rushed into the burning inferno. I scanned the house for signs of life, and sensed two people on one of the upper floors of the building. I jumped through the floors and ran to their position. "Meibatsu, are you ok?" I asked._

_"Hogosha, is that… watch out!" He yelled as he kicked me back. I heard a wooden support fall from above and crash onto the floor, followed by the unearthly screaming of my friend in pain. I ran over to him and sensed that the burning beam had fallen onto his face. My hands burned and my nostrils filled with the scent of burning flesh as I pushed the beam off of him. I brushed as many of the burning embers off of his face as my hands became stained with ash and blood. Unable to do anything else, I picked him up gingerly and began to run out of the building. Even though the loud ambient noise of the flames, I heard a muffled scream behind me, reminding me that the politician was still there. I quickly pulled out a shuriken and threw it at the ropes binding him. The ropes fell to the floor as he pulled the gag out of his mouth. _

_"Get out of here now!" I ordered._

_"But all of my possessions things are sti-"_

_"You dumb-ass" I yelled back at him. "Your life is more important. Get out of here now!" With that, I jumped through the window and landed safely on the ground. Without hesitation, I headed in the direction of Suna, determined to give my friend the medical attention he so desperately needed._

* * *

The young ninja stared at Hogosha in disbelief as he continued his story. "I finally arrived at Suna, and Meibatsu was taken directly to the emergency wing. I waited for a couple of hours outside of that operating room until the doctors finally told me I was ok to see him. I was not as good at seeing things with my chakra as I am now, so I couldn't see the extent of the damage to his face, but the doctors told me his entire face had become disfigured and that he had become blind. Once he was able to talk, I told him that I would help him learn how to 'see' by sensing chakra. While he was still recovering at the hospital, I decided to look for something to cover his face. I originally made him a special faceplate similar to mine, but that ended up not working as well as I had hoped. His entire face was disfigured from the burn, and the faceplate didn't cover his jaw and mouth. Also, the metal chafed against his face, which was very sensitive. I learned that his eyes had also suffered so much damage that they would spontaneously begin bleeding. I eventually made him a cloth headband that went around his eyes. The band had excess cloth that draped down his face to cover it from view. It ended up working well for him; it was comfortable, and it covered his face, although there were often blood stains on the cloth. To counter that, we started to make them out of red cloth, which hid the blood.

After a couple of months he, too, was also able to navigate with few troubles by using his chakra-sensing abilities. We began wandering the world together; training with each other, sharpening our chakra perception, and volunteering our services to those causes we deemed worthy. During our time, we actually achieved mild fame as the 'blind brothers'."

"If you and your friend are so well known throughout the ninja world, how come I've never heard of you before?" Tenten asked.

"The Nation of Fire is one of the more wealthy nations; ergo, we didn't spend a lot of time around Konoha," Hogosha explained.

"When did you guys meet Naruto?" Choji asked.

"We were making our way towards a poor province in the Nation of Earth when we sensed a giant chakra source. Fearing that it was an army of ninja, we ran towards the source, only to discover it was emanating from one person. We ended up talking for a while, and we discovered that he was the last of the Jinchuuriki. I also learned that he was Jiraya-sama's latest apprentice. Meibatsu and I decided that, after wandering alone for a long time, we would travel with Naruto for a while."

"Then why did you let Naruto get captured by Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

"When we were confronted by Sasuke and his group, Naruto asked that we stay out of it, saying that 'it was his battle'. We left him alone as per his request, only to return and discover him and Sasuke's team missing. On the ground was a hastily-written message that said 'Tell Tsunade', and a crude drawing of the Mangekyou Sharingan. At that point, Meibatsu and I decided to split up. Since he was better at genjutsu, he would be better at tracking Naruto without being detected. I am more agile than he is, so I took up the task of sneaking into Konoha and delivering his message to Tsunade, and coming back with a group to help rescue him. And now we find ourselves here, about to go and rescue Naruto."

"I still think if you are as famous as you say you are, we would have at least heard about you. Why hasn't word of your exploits reached Konoha?" Kiba asked, still somewhat skeptical of Hogosha.

Hogosha stood up and stretched out his back. "Well, we should all probably go to sleep soon," he yawned. "Tomorrow is going to be important, and I don't want our performance to suffer because we are tired."

"Wait, what about my ques-"

"I expect you all to be well-rested for tomorrow's operation," Hogosha said nonchalantly as he made his way towards his tent. As the other ninja retired for the evening, Kiba too walked over to his tent, a shroud of doubt still hanging over his conscience. He took off his shirt and let the cool air blow gently over his naked chest.

"K-Kiba-kun?" he heard a timid voice behind him ask.

"Hm?"

"I… um… Here's your jacket back," she said, holding out his black leather jacket.

"You keep it for tonight," Kiba replied, turning around to face her. "Your jacket got wet, so the least I can do is give you mine."

"A-arigato." Kiba smiled and turned to retire for the night when he felt Hinata grab his arm. "Ano… Kiba-kun…"

"What's wrong?" Hinata's nervous habit of playing with her fingers came back as she mentally stumbled over how to ask her next question.

"Um… well… about what happened before…"

Kiba's mind brought back the images of what had happened earlier in the day. He and Hinata had been asked to find a source of fresh water and to bring some back to the camp. They had walked upstream until they found a waterfall. Hinata offered go to the top of the waterfall and collect water from there, so Kiba decided to clean up a bit. He managed to find a small alcove between the waterfall and the cliff a good portion of the way up, and he promptly stripped down to his boxers and let the water run over his body. He didn't know that Hinata had come back until he heard a gasp, followed by a scream. He looked to see that Hinata had seen him in his boxers and tried to turn around, only to trip over a rocky outcrop and fall out over the edge of the waterfall, her clothes getting soaked in the process. Kiba acted quickly and jumped down the waterfall, catching her in midair and landing safely on the water's surface. "Wh-what about it?" Kiba asked, trying his best to hide his unease about the subject.

"Well, I… I'm sorry that I…"

"Hey, it was an accident. No big deal, don't worry about," Kiba replied, giving her a smile to set her worries at rest. With that, he stepped into his tent, let Akamaru inside, and closed the tent flap.

"Arigato, Kiba-kun," Hinata said to herself as she took Kiba's jacket and put it back around her shoulders, holding the material close to her body to fend off the cold air as she too retired for the night.


	7. Chapter 7

Morning found the young ninja nearing a captive Naruto's location. Hogosha had stopped the group about 200 meters away from the cave being used to hold Naruto, and instructed the team to make their final preparations. As the team inspected their equipment to make sure that they were ready for confrontation, Neji used his Byakugan in an attempt to spy on their enemy.

"Damn," Neji cursed to himself before returning to the group. "They must have some sort of chakra barrier up, I can't see through," he informed Hogosha.

"Can't say that I'm surprised," Shikamaru replied as he sat down with Neji and Hogosha to go over their plan once more.

"So when are we going to do this?" Kiba asked, clearly anxious for the action to start. As with most Inuzuka, he would rather be fighting than waiting around.

"We must ensure that every minute detail of our plan is accounted for," Hogosha replied.

"We don't have time for that." Kiba looked up at the voice that spoke the exact words on his mind to see a robed man with a cloth draped in front of his face. Hogosha turned towards his comrade and nodded for him to continue. "I'm not sure how much longer Naruto can hold out. You need to act soon. Jugo will be leaving soon to replenish water. I'll give you the signal when you need to attack." Hogosha silently nodded one last time and, before anyone could open their mouth to ask what was going on, Meibatsu vanished in a puff of smoke.

Hogosha drew in a deep breath and let it out as he stood up and motioned for the surrounding ninja to near him. Once they had gathered, Hogosha addressed the group. "It appears that the time for planning is over, and the time for action is upon us. Shikamaru, Neji, and I have been deliberating how to go through with this rescue mission, but I believe that we have a solid plan. I have been informed that Jugo will be leaving the hideout soon; once he does, my partner Meibatsu will emit a signal in the form of a low-frequency chakra signature. This signal is difficult to detect unless one is actively searching at that frequency. When I receive the signal, we will carry out our plan of attack. I will allow Shikamaru to fill you in." With that, Hogosha stepped back, and allowed Shikamaru to step forward.

"We will be splitting ourselves into two groups. The first group will consist of me, Hogosha, Tenten, Hinata, Ino, and Kiba. Once Hogosha detects the signal, he will use an explosive tag to blow a hole in the side of the cave. Kiba, you and Akamaru will need to get in there as soon as you can and try to take out Karin while the rest of us make out way in. We will use this diversion to keep the enemies' attention while the second group comes in for a sneak attack."

"Sakura, Lee, Choji, Sai, and Shino; you will be with me for this," Neji spoke. "Lee, once you hear the explosion and the fighting going on inside, you need to get in there as fast as you can and incapacitate Suigetsu. Hopefully, Karin will have been taken care of, and he will not detect you coming until it's too late. Everyone else, we will be following Lee and flanking those remaining in the cave. From that point on, we just need to defeat whoever is left and rescue Naruto."

Neji finished before turning to Hogosha, who nodded and instructed the group, "If there are no questions, you have five minutes to prepare your supplies and move into position." With no questions to be asked, the young ninja silently gathered their thoughts and followed their respective leaders.

* * *

Hogosha and his team found themselves about 200 meters from a rocky outcrop, on the other side of which Naruto was being held. Anticipation builds in the pit of their stomachs as they wait for Meibatsu's signal to be relayed through Hogosha. "Tenten, would you mind giving me a kunai" Hogosha asked, startling Tenten from the break in the silence.

"S-sure," she stuttered as she handed him the requested kunai. Once he nodded his thanks, she began breathing deeply in an attempt to relax herself, only for her heart rate to jump when she saw the explosive tag Hogosha pulled out to attach to the kunai.

Hogosha sensed her apprehension to the size of the tag and explained, "This has to break through several feet of rock. A standard explosive tag just won't do." He smiled at her as he continued to wrap the tag around the handle; as soon as Tenten saw his smile, all of the nervousness left her mind.

Suddenly, Hogosha perked his head up. "That's the signal," he informed the group. He then placed the kunai in his palm and held it flat, the blade pointed towards the cave wall. He positioned his other hand so that his wrists were touching and his hands were perpendicular. Tenten, due to her proximity to him, was able to hear him whisper "Critical Eye" under his breath before levitating the kunai in his hands. "You'll want to step back for this," he addressed Tenten as he held the kunai in place. She quickly hopped behind him as she watched him concentrate on the task at hand. A few seconds later, Hogosha activated the explosive tag and, without warning, the kunai seemingly flew out of his hands as a gust of wind exploded in all directions from where the kunai was mere moments prior. The kunai sailed towards the wall before embedding itself in the stone and detonating. Kiba, who had been itching for some action the entire morning, immediately followed the kunai and, not waiting for the debris to settle, dove into the opening in the cave wall. Inside the cave, he saw Suigetsu and Karin shielding their eyes from the airborne debris and coughing from the dust. Kiba took his advantage as he and Akamaru leapt forward to take Karin out of commission. Unfortunately, she was able to detect them and dodge their attack before moving back to a safe distance. Kiba knew that he didn't have another chance to make his attack, so he and Akamaru pulled back to the cave opening and covered as his comrades filed in. Once the dust had cleared, the group saw Karin and Suigetsu facing them and holding defensive positions. A subtle movement brought the group's attention to the man chained to the wall behind the defenders. Upon closer inspection, he was revealed to be a battered and barely clothed Naruto. Bruises and cuts were strewn across his body, and his shaggy hair hung down over his eyes. Shaken awake by the explosion, Naruto slowly raised his head and locked eyes with the rescue team. Relief came to the minds of the rescue team when he forced a small smile before his head slumped again.

"Konoha shinobi…" Karin muttered. "You come to rescue your precious jinchuriki?"

"We're here to rescue our friend and comrade," Shikamaru replied calmly.

"Yeah, so hand him over! You can't win against us!" Kiba added.

"Heh… Don't think for a second that we're handing him over without a fight," Suigetsu growled as he readied his sword.

"I'm afraid your jinchuriki belongs to Sasuke now," Karin retorted slyly. "There's no way you're going ta- Suigetsu, behind you!" Suigetsu spun around just in time to block a kick from Lee aimed directly at his head. He then swung his sword at his attacker, but Lee flipped out of the sword's reach and landed near the cave entrance, where his teammates came running in.

"You cannot beat us," Lee called out to his opponents in his usual fashion. "Please give yourselves up."

"We're not going to do that," sounded a voice from a dark corner of the cave. Footsteps were heard, and the Konoha ninja turned to see Sasuke walk calmly out of the darkness. "I have captured Naruto for the Akatsuki, and I plan to deliver him to them. You will not interfere."

Hogosha stepped in front of the group and pulled out a sword from his robes. He approached Sasuke before addressing him, "Sasuke, you are not going to be able to stop us. We are going to be taking Naruto back to Konoha; it is up to you whether we have to fight you to do it."

Sasuke let out a crackled laugh and glared at Hogosha. "Strong words, but empty threats will not deter me. Although, I seem to remember you from somewhere."

"I was traveling with Naruto when you captured him."

"Heh, now I remember. I still don't understand why Naruto sent you away. I was wondering just how strong you were; now, it seems I have a chance to find out." With that, Sasuke drew his sword and lunged at Hogosha, who did the same with his sword. Metal met metal and sparks flew as the swords clashed.

Karin and Suigetzu were only barely able to defend themselves from the barrage of attacks made by the Konaha ninja. For every kick they blocked, two more followed. For every punch they dodged, they had to contort their bodies in ways unimaginable to avoid the consecutive flurry of punches. "Gaa!" Karin cried out in frustration. "Where the hell is Jugo when you need him?

As if on cue, a massive body flew into the fray and pulled Karin and Suigetzu from the fight. Jugo released the two and turned to face their attackers. "It seems that I got here just in time," he said calmly.

"I could have taken them all myself if Karin wasn't constantly getting in my way," Suigetzu retorted, sending a piercing glare in the girl's direction. Karin snorted in response.

Jugo surveyed the battlefield and was not confident about the odds; the only way he and his two teammates would be able to contest with the 11 shinobi staring them down would be for him to transform. "You two cover me," he informed Karin and Suigetzu. "I need to transform." With that, he began to concentrate his power, and black marks began traveling across his skin.

Kiba started to rush in, but Shikamaru held him back. "It's too dangerous to go on the offensive," Shikamaru explained. "We need to fight defensively for now."

Energy filled the room as Jugo's strength increased exponentially. The sounds of steel grinding against steel stopped as Hogosha and Sasuke parted and watched Jugo grow in size. Jugo let out a blood-curdling scream and readied a punch. The Konoha ninja, in turn, readied themselves to dodge what would absolutely be a devastating blow. Jugo gathered all of his power in his fist, dug in to the cave floor and, to the surprise of everyone watching, spun around and threw his fist into Suigetzu's gut. Suigetzu flew back at an amazing speed and slammed into the cave wall behind him.

"Jugo! What the hell was tha-" Karin screamed before being silenced abruptly as Sasuke practically flew across the room and thrust the hilt of his sword into Karin's temple. She crumpled to the ground as Sasuke stood over her limp body, sword hilts still situated where her forehead was mere moments earlier. He drew his sword to his side and looked over at Hogosha before giving him a small nod. Hogosha returned the nod, and with swords drawn, the two swordsmen began to make their way towards Naruto.


End file.
